The Importance of Curiosity in Healthcare: A Patient’s Perspective
Curiosity, often seen as a driving force for innovation and discovery, plays a critical role in healthcare—especially from a patient’s perspective. When it comes to personal health, being curious can empower patients to take charge of their care. Asking questions about symptoms, treatment options, or medications fosters better understanding and builds trust with healthcare providers. It ensures that patients are informed participants in their health journey, leading to more tailored treatments and, ultimately, better outcomes.
For example, a patient might ask about alternative therapies, potential side effects, or even how lifestyle changes could impact their condition. Each of these questions opens doors to deeper communication and reduces anxiety by dispelling confusion. Without curiosity, patients may feel passive in their care, which can lead to missed information or misunderstood advice. In healthcare, where decisions can significantly affect quality of life, curiosity is not just important—it’s essential.
Curiosity Didn’t Kill the Cat: The Saying’s Origin
The phrase “curiosity killed the cat” is often used to caution against being too inquisitive, but this isn’t how the saying originally went. It began as “care killed the cat,” with “care” referring to worry or anxiety, not curiosity. The original saying implied that excessive concern and stress could lead to negative outcomes, while curiosity itself was never the culprit. So, let your curiosity thrive—especially when it comes to your health—because asking the right questions can save lives, not jeopardize them!
I often find patients hesitant to ask questions of their healthcare providers. There’s a sense of “how dare I question my doctor?”. However, the concern should be:
- Is this the right treatment for me? What’s the alternative? What are the expected side-effects?
- Have I left no stone unturned in understanding my condition and the possible diagnoses?
- Is there more that can be done aside from what’s considered “First Line Therapy”? Perhaps the 2nd or 3rd line therapy would be more suited to my constitution and specific case!
- What’s the prognosis if I choose to deny the recommendations of my healthcare provider (be it your MD or ND or…)?!
- etc. etc.
Then a ton more questions that can and should be asked when it comes to public health policy:
- Do I need the yearly flu vaccine? Do I belong to the population that benefits from it or do the harms:benefits cancel one another out?
- Why is there such emphasis on Cholesterol lowering? What is the ABSOLUTE benefit to my specific case (rate reduction of cardiovascular disease) if I do or don’t take statins (the absolute rate reduction in most scenario’s is no more than 1-3% in most cases -and this value can feel significant for some and insignificant for others). It isn’t your doctor’s decision as to whether your take this or any medication. It’s your doctor’s responsibility to provide the information and your decision to take it or leave it.
- How much Vitamin D should be I taking and since it’s so essential why can’t I get it tested to make sure I’m optimal? The answer to this one is actually simple, Health Canada has decided to assume we’re all deficient so it’s a blanket recommendation to supplement with 2500IU Vitamin D3 daily and to then not test -since we’d all be found deficient 🙂
I can go on…and on… but you get the gist! Ask away! Ask me! Ask your MD! And get curious and brave (don’t hold back). If your “care” provider does not have the capacity to be questioned, is this “care”?
Your health detective,
Dr. Negin
Serving London Ontario and surrounding regions (available virtually to all Ontario residents)
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